Lecture No.4: Bushi and Ninja in Edo-Period (1st term)
Bushi and Ninja in Edo-Period (summary)
Lecturer: Atsushi Tohyama
Edo-period samurai, who became the ruler of the time, begun to realize their own way as the "Bushido" or "Shido". Then, as what kind of existence were ninjas of "BU (武)" aware of themselves likewise?
According to the "Hagakure" in the famous Yoshitsune Yamamoto in Quotations of "Bushido is worth dying for", being asked more than anything for the apprenticeship of the samurai is an absolute devotion to the lord, and that was based on expectation to a lord also similar to love (endurance love).
For Yoshitsune, "to die" is "dying for a lord".
There can be seen the figure of traditional samurai that most emphasis on ties of master-servant that has been nurtured from rigid of whole clan.
On the other hand, so-called "(of Confucianism) samurai's code" of the situation that is going to arrest oneself as an administrator ruling over the three classes of the agriculture, industry , and commerce in Confucianism thought as a background when it is the Edo era for such "Hagakure"-like "Bushido" appears.
It can probably be said that they tried to catch oneself as the existence which achieves an order such as" Jin (charity)" and" Gi (right)" in the world against the background of" Bu (bravery)".
Then, how was the ninja going to catch oneself to the state of such samurai?
For example, "huge loyal to a lord" is also asked from "Bansenshuukai" as "the way of servant", but it isn't assumed and is something have to work for a lord because it's under lord's care, and a "Hagakure"-like master-and-servant relationship is described there.
But it is stated that the loyalty must complete throughout the life because of the master-servant relationship. There are "Hagakure"like master-servant relationship was not assumed.
In addition, according to "Bansenshuukai", it is said that "Shinobu (忍)" means "the heart of the sword", and it is told that it is formed by following "humanity, justice, loyalty, and devotion", but the "humanity, justice, loyalty, and devotion" is to become strong to handle a plot depending any situation, not a thing becoming the principle of governing and the order.
Where would the ninja really pursue own final ground, and what would ninja would incarnate?
